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Signing Away Copyright For A Dollar

WCP authors should be aware that the new agreement is not asking for copyright for the term of the contract, but for the lifetime of the author, plus 70 years. One of the most famous cases of signing away copyright was the Superman author in 1938. The publisher paid him $130. This deal was upheld by a court in 1948. There's no need to point out that $130, although not a lot of money, was worth a lot more at that time than it is today. It's certainly not in the same low league as the dollar WCP is offering.

If a contract contains a lifetime copyright clause then good reversion terms are essential. The Start contract does not have those. What it does do is limit the author's ability to regain his rights back based on sales minimums, and leaves it up to the publisher to either agree or refuse. This is inadequate and unacceptable.

If Deb MA doesn't manage to con the authors into signing the new contract, then the sale will be off. It's the contracts that Start is interested in. For its the contracts that will make them money. Oh but wait...I didn't get a single royalty payment or statement ever from Deb MA. Thanks to whoever sent all this stuff to the IRS and the Attorney General. I'm sure we'd all love to see Deb MA held accountable for her actions. I bet she'll impress the other inmates with that MA. (ROFL)

It's pretty easy when you treat your authors like dirt and ignore their emails. Seldom send out royalties or royalty statements. Provide the worse editor possible (Marsha Briscoe), have cheap amateurish looking covers, and extort $500 per title, from authors who just want to get out.

WCP is sooooooooooo bad, that an author would be better off to leave his story sitting in a closet forever than entrust it to them. All the bad treatment was for a reason. They wanted the authors to be so miserable that they'd cough up 500 big ones, per title, to get their rights back.

Steve Womack is a wannabe writer, that's why he started WCP. It was the only way he could get his awful book published. It's been on Amazon since 2005, and ranks at the bottom of the heap. The cover is terrible. Reading the first couple of pages is such hard going it put me to sleep.

As we all want our rights back NOW, it's super important to expose the Womacks for what they are by turning the public spotlight on them. With this in mind, I've sent the following message to the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Casper, and to the Casper Star Tribune, and Casper Journal. If you can think of anyone else who could help us, send them a link to this forum. If we all work together we WILL overcome.

Please be advised that Whiskey Creek Press, a publishing business operating in your area, has been accused by multiple authors and others of fraudulent activities. These include: ridiculously low royalty payments, no royalty statements, cave-man editing and even worse covers. Debra Womack, the owner, never replies to emails. She simply ignores them. Then when the authors want out they're being hit with a $500 per title 'termination fee.' Now this business is in the process of being sold, and Womack, is trying to con the authors into signing away their copyright forever.

Good going PT. Letters have also been sent to the Wyoming Attorney General's office, the IRS, and to Casper College where Womack is a temporary worker. If anyone can think of anywhere else please go for it. I have a legitimate publisher really interested in publishing my book, but he won't wait forever. I have to get my rights back from those fraudsters now.

@BLIt's my idea that both these possibilities are true. They set up shop for the termination fees, and some of the books, despite no effort or promotion by the Womacks have sold well. Perhaps the authors worked extra hard on promoting them. That leaves, of course, the lack of royalty payments to the authors. When the Womacks were trying to flog WCP to Start Media they'd be asked to produce the records of sale, and they couldn't have been as bad as our royalty checks would indicate, or Start would not have been interested. I think I'll write a book about this.

I can understand a traditional print publisher charging a termination fee because they've invested money in publishing the book. But when it comes to small mom & pop epublishers, like WCP, they've invested absolutely nothing. It doesn't cost anything to upload an ebook to Amazon, Fictionwise, etc. At WCP the editing is atrocious so are the covers, and they don't do any promotion. They don't even send out royalty statements. So what EXACTLY does this whopping big $500 termination fee cover?

WCP started out as a vanity press charging authors 90 bucks to publish. So why is anyone surprised that things have worked out as they have? The Womacks were out to screw authors, and that's what they've done. Just remember this is a very small outfit with no distribution.

" You agree and understand that your agreements as set forth herein are contingent upon your receipt of the signing bonus and other payments as set forth above, which amounts you agree to accept as consideration for the modification of your currently existing agreement with Whiskey Creek Press and in full and final satisfaction of any and all claims to past due/current royalties and/or advances or any other sums owed to you for sales up through and including April 30, 2014."

I hope the authors who signed the new contract realize that by accepting the one buck, they've given up all rights to any royalties WCP may owe them prior to April 30, 2014.

It doesn't matter when the contract expires, once you sign away copyright you no longer have the right to do anything with the book, because it's no longer yours. Amazon, btw, are very strict about contracts and ownership of copyright. There's no doubt that the Womack's tricked you into signing with that deceptively worded letter. You need immediate legal advice.

@Desperate HousewifeYou're screwed, completely. Since you knowingly and willingly signed that contract, it's doubtful anything can be done. You gave up your rights to the copyright of your book. No one else, even indie publishing, is going to let you publish it if you don't own the copyright.

"Since you knowingly and willingly signed that contract, it's doubtful anything can be done. You gave up your rights to the copyright of your book. No one else, even indie publishing, is going to let you publish it if you don't own the copyright."Absolutely correct. Amazon is very fussy about copyright, as they should be. If you tell them you have all rights to the book, which you don't once you sign away your copyright, then you could be prosecuted. The Superman author went to court to try and get his copyright back, but was unsuccessful. The court ruled in favor of the publisher. Once you sign on the dotted line, I;m afraid you're well and truly f**ked.

The deal would be contingent on Womack delivering a certain number of authors to Start, by way of the second -- lose your copyright forever -- contract. Judging by what I've read here, I'd say they were way short of their quota.

I agree about WCP not meeting the quota, and it's mainly thanks to this blog for alerting the authors. I'd never have signed that bloody thing if I'd read this site first. Now, unless I want to start a legal action against Start, I've lost my book forever. And I slaved for years over it. It was like a child to me.

I'd advise anyone who signed away their copyright in that 2nd contract to simply forget about their books. They're gone. You don't own them anymore and you never will again. A lawsuit against Start is likely to fail, and cost you a bundle. The smart money is on putting this behind you, and starting to write another book.

Check this out. It's a site that allows you to ask lawyers questions and get answers for free. I asked about the royalty thing and got some replies. http://www.avvo.com/legal-answers/do-i-need-a-contract-lawyer--1774216.html?post_answer_id=4003335&post_id=1023378&utm_source=notification&utm_medium=email&utm_content=question_legal&utm_campaign=comment_notify

I didn't sign a thing! I told Steven, in multiple emails that I want my rights back and that they are in breach of their own contract in multiple ways. Not giving royalties on time, or providing statements, not allowing me access to the sales reports for my title (not the pitiful statements they provide which is nothing but a number and a dollar amount) I also mentioned the fact that their contract states that if they are sold, then the publisher acquiring them is bound to the terms of our contract for the life of the contract.

I'm not signing, I'm not paying these scumbags $500, but I AM getting a lawyer to send them a demand letter. I am setting up an appointment for next week. Let's see how they like it when the lawyers start knocking on their door.

As to the above authors who sent information to the IRS and Attorney General, etc... Here's a nice little clause in the contract that may come in handy. It appears that if the IRS were to suspend operations at WCP for an investigation or other reason, then we get our rights back. At least that's how I understand it.

"If the Publisher suspends operations, other than a temporary suspension for technical difficulties such as a lossof Web Server, all rights delineated in Section I shall immediately revert to the Author. If the Publisher's operations are ordered suspended by any governmental or police entity, or by Injunction or Restraining Order, all rights shall immediately revert to the author. If the suspension is lifted and operations resume, Author and Publisher may agree in writing to continue this agreement under the same or revised terms."FINGERS CROSSED!!